These 4 Measures Indicate That Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) Is Using Debt Extensively

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. Importantly, Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE:FDP) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Fresh Del Monte Produce

What Is Fresh Del Monte Produce's Net Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Fresh Del Monte Produce had US$512.7m of debt in October 2021, down from US$565.8m, one year before. On the flip side, it has US$19.0m in cash leading to net debt of about US$493.7m.

How Healthy Is Fresh Del Monte Produce's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Fresh Del Monte Produce had liabilities of US$588.6m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$917.8m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$19.0m as well as receivables valued at US$403.5m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$1.08b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This deficit is considerable relative to its market capitalization of US$1.37b, so it does suggest shareholders should keep an eye on Fresh Del Monte Produce's use of debt. This suggests shareholders would be heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry.

We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

Fresh Del Monte Produce's net debt is sitting at a very reasonable 2.4 times its EBITDA, while its EBIT covered its interest expense just 5.3 times last year. While that doesn't worry us too much, it does suggest the interest payments are somewhat of a burden. Importantly, Fresh Del Monte Produce grew its EBIT by 39% over the last twelve months, and that growth will make it easier to handle its debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Fresh Del Monte Produce's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Looking at the most recent three years, Fresh Del Monte Produce recorded free cash flow of 31% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.

Our View

Fresh Del Monte Produce's level of total liabilities and conversion of EBIT to free cash flow definitely weigh on it, in our esteem. But its EBIT growth rate tells a very different story, and suggests some resilience. Looking at all the angles mentioned above, it does seem to us that Fresh Del Monte Produce is a somewhat risky investment as a result of its debt. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since leverage can boost returns on equity, but it is something to be aware of. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Be aware that Fresh Del Monte Produce is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those can't be ignored...

If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.